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Latest legal battle gives Romantics more ‘Behind the Music’ fodder

Ever since VH1’s “Behind the Music” debuted in 1997, the world has learned a lot about the legal side of the music industry, as told by the artists themselves.

From Badfinger to Grand Funk Railroad, and from TLC to Ted Nugent, sordid anecdotes about management and money issues have permeated the biographical series.

And while longtime Detroit rockers The Romantics have never appeared on the show, their legal battles over royalties, publishing rights and mismanagement could probably put all of those stories to shame.

One such battle was averted July 23, when six hours of mediation over an ex-member’s claim for lost royalties resulted in a settlement before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts. A jury trial had been scheduled to begin this week.

The Detroit Newsreports that former lead guitarist George “Coz” Canler will be paid $50,000 within 14 days and $20,000 annually for the next four years for a total of $130,000. He also will receive 15 percent of all future royalties due for songs he either wrote or performed, but will relinquish a 25 percent share in Master Beat, an entity created by the band to share profits.

Rochester attorney Sharon Almonrode, who represents original band members Wally Palmar and Mike Skill, argued that the group had “always compensated [Canler] appropriately. This agreement was to avoid a trial, although we were well prepared to argue our position.”

In 1995, the band reached a $1 million settlement against two former managers, Arnie Tencer and Joel Zuckerman, for withholding royalties for more than 1 million records sold between 1980 through 1993.

The News wrote that that suit found that before 1993, profits came solely from band members’ personal appearances, while their managers made deals for commercials without their approval. Except for getting the return of song copyrights, the band was never able to collect the award because those associates subsequently declared bankruptcy.

In addition, a lawsuit is pending from ex-manager Joel Martin, who was called in to straighten out the band’s fiscal problems after the band’s suit against Tencer and Zuckerman. Martin, who was removed as manager in August 2005, claims he is owed money.

The Romantics in 2007 also filed a lawsuit against Activision, RedOctane, Harmonix, and Wavegroup Sound over the cover of the band’s hit song “What I Like About You,” which was used in the Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s video game. The band claimed the cover was “virtually indistinguishable from the authentic version.”

U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds dismissed the suit in August 2008, stating that Activision had obtained the proper licensing for the works and that the band itself no longer held the copyright on the work.